Disposal Guidelines by State for Home Generated Sharps APRIL – 2021

Home generated sharps include hypodermic needles, syringes and lancets used to treat chronic conditions such as, diabetes, allergies, arthritis, osteoporosis, multiple sclerosis, hepatitis B and HIV. Individuals who use needles at home are responsible for ensuring proper disposal. Safe disposal helps protect workers and the public from unnecessary injury and possible infectious disease transmission. Contact your medical provider, pharmacy, fire station, or household hazardous waste facility to determine if disposal options are available in your local area.

Guidelines for States who DO NOT Permit Sharps Disposal in Household Garbage California, Massachusetts, Oregon, Legally prohibit disposing of sharps waste in trash or recycling containers and require all sharps be transported Wisconsin to a collection center in an approved sharps container. If you do not have access to a sharps container & live in MA or WI you may place sharps in a puncture resistant container for transport. Local collection centers may include pharmacies, hospitals, and household hazardous waste facilities. Additional options may include a mailback, exchange program, medical waste collection or needle destruction device. California — San Luis Obispo, Alameda, Santa Clara, Santa Cruz, Sonoma counties offer additional free services such as local disposal kiosks and take-back events. Washington Seattle/Parts of King County — legally prohibit disposing of sharps in trash or recycling containers. For more information, call King County Health Department, (206) 263-8899.

Guidelines for States who DO Permit Sharps Disposal in Household Garbage Alaska, Arizona, Colorado, Connecticut, Recommended disposal solutions may include: Florida, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, • Place sharps in a commercially available sharps container or a puncture resistant plastic or metal container Kansas, Kentucky, Maine, Maryland, with a tightly secured screw-on lid. Do not use a clear or glass container. Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, • Label container with SHARPS/DO NOT RECYCLE. Mississippi, Nebraska, Nevada, New • Seal the container with heavy-duty tape. Hampshire, North Carolina, North • Place sealed container in TRASH bin (not recycling). Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Rhode Island, Additional options include a mail-back program (fees apply), syringe exchange program, medical waste Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Vermont, collection program, or sharps needle destruction device to destroy used needles (free to Maine residents). Virginia, Washington, Wyoming Mississippi — local drop-off programs are free. Washington — excludes Seattle and part of King County. Follow Guidelines Above and Additional Requirements Below for the Following States: Alabama, Arkansas, District of Columbia, • Disinfect sharps using a 1:10 bleach and water solution. Soak contents for at least 20 minutes & drain. Pennsylvania, South Dakota • Label container “BIOHAZARD/DO NOT RECYCLE” in RED marker (District of Columbia only). West Virginia • Label container “NOT RECYCLABLE TREATED SHARPS” in permanent marker (West Virginia only). Delaware, Georgia, Hawaii, Montana, • Add bleach to disinfect the needles (Montana and New Mexico only). New Mexico, South Carolina • Label container “BIOHAZARD” (Georgia and Hawaii only). • Double bag and place sealed container in TRASH bin (not recycling) (Delaware only). • Place warning stickers on container (South Carolina only – call 1.800.285.5257 for free stickers). Louisiana Sharps must be encased in plaster or in another substance as approved by the State Health Officer or in a sharps container of standard manufacture or other similar container of a type approved by the State Health Officer. The waste must be packaged to assure that there will be no leakage, even if the original package is violated (generally, this means double bagging, or placing sharps containers in a second rigid disposal container). This packaged sharps container may be placed in TRASH bin (not recycling). Additional options may include a mailback (fees apply), exchange program, medical waste collection, or a needle destruction device. New Jersey New Jersey state law requires destroying needles and syringes prior to disposal. Follow the below guidelines: • Use a needle clipper purchased at the pharmacy to clip the needle. • Carefully place each of the used needles in a commercially available sharps container or a puncture resistant plastic or metal container with a tightly secured screw-on lid. Do not use a clear or glass container. • Label container with SHARPS/DO NOT RECYCLE. • Seal the container tightly with its original lid and heavy-duty tape. • Place sealed container in TRASH bin (not recycling). Residents may also participate in a safe disposal program through their local hospital. Participating hospitals offer rigid containers to dispose of these items for a fee and do not require needles to be clipped prior to placing them in the container. The container must be returned to the hospital when full for proper disposal and will be exchanged for a new container. New York New York state law allows disposal of home generated sharps in a regular trash container; however, local laws may prohibit. Hospital and nursing homes are required by law to accept properly contained sharps. Local healthcare providers may also accept sharps for disposal. For proper containment, follow the below guidelines: • Place sharps in a commercially available sharps container or a puncture resistant plastic or metal container with a tightly secured screw-on lid. Do not use a clear or glass container. • Label container with CONTAINS SHARPS with waterproof marker directly on the container. • Seal the container with heavy-duty tape. • Place sealed container in TRASH bin (not recycling). See reverse for links to additional information by state.

D077-102111C_APR2021 State Website Address AK https://dec.alaska.gov/eh/solid-waste/how-do-i-dispose-of/medical-waste/ AL http://adem.alabama.gov/programs/land/landforms/sharpsMgmtFactSheetJuly2010.pdf AR https://www.healthy.arkansas.gov/images/uploads/pdf/Household_Sharps_Disposal_11052019.pdf AZ https://azdeq.gov/Sharps CA https://www.calrecycle.ca.gov/HomeHazWaste/Sharps/ CO https://www.colorado.gov/pacific/cdphe/household-needles-and-sharps CT https://portal.ct.gov/DEEP/Waste-Management-and-Disposal/What-Do-I-Do-With#Sharps DE https://dnrec.alpha.delaware.gov/waste-hazardous/management/infectious/ DC http://ddoe.dc.gov/sites/default/files/dc/sites/ddoe/publication/attachments/Sharps%20Disposal.pdf FL http://www.floridahealth.gov/environmental-health/biomedical-waste/home-management-of-sharps.html GA https://www.gwinnettcounty.com/static/departments/solidwaste/Gwinnett-Co_OPT-English_Summer_2014.pdf HI http://health.hawaii.gov/shwb/files/2013/06/medwaste1.pdf IA http://www.iowadnr.gov/portals/idnr/uploads/waste/sw_sharps.pdf ID https://www.deq.idaho.gov/waste-management-and-remediation/solid-waste/residential-household-wastes/ IL https://www2.illinois.gov/epa/Documents/iepa/waste-management/medication-disposal/sharps-fact-sheet.pdf IN https://www.in.gov/idem/health/2453.htm KS http://www.kdheks.gov/environment/sharpsdisposal.html KY https://eec.ky.gov/Environmental-Protection/Waste/recycling-and-local-assistance/Documents/SharpsDisposalFactSheet.pdf LA https://www.lsu.edu/ehs/files/Disposal-of-Medical-Waste-Louisiana.pdf http://ldh.la.gov/assets/oph/Center-PHCH/Center-CH/infectious-epi/EpiManual/NeedleDisposalManual.pdf MA https://www.mass.gov/files/documents/2019/11/05/Proper-use-and-Disposal-of-Needles-and-Syringes-October-2019.pdf? MD https://frederickcountymd.gov/4915/SharpsSyringe-Disposal http://www2.montgomerycountymd.gov/DepHowDoI/material.aspx?tag=syringes&material_key=26 ME https://www.maine.gov/dep/waste/biomedical/sharps.html MI https://www.michigan.gov/documents/deq/whm-stsw-sharps-collection-list_196524_7.pdf MN http://www.pca.state.mn.us/index.php/view-document.html?gid=11358 MO https://dnr.mo.gov/pubs/pub2871.htm MS http://www.deq.state.ms.us/medsharps MT https://deq.mt.gov/Portals/112/Land/SolidWaste/Documents/docs/SafeNeedleDisposal.pdf NC http://portal.ncdenr.org/c/document_library/get_file?uuid=40f9e8a6-c59b-4450-ae60-3470d040eddc&groupId=38361 ND https://deq.nd.gov/WM/InfectiousWaste/HouseholdInfectiousWaste.aspx NE http://www.deq.state.ne.us/NDEQProg.nsf/PubsForm.xsp?databaseName=CN=DEQSER6/O=NDEQ!!%20Publica.nsf&documentId= 081310BB5E07A8048625696D0057ED27&action=editDocument NH https://www.des.nh.gov/sites/g/files/ehbemt341/files/documents/2020-01/sw-31.pdf NJ http://www.nj.gov/health/ceohs/documents/phss/syringe.pdf https://nj.gov/health/ceohs/documents/phss/safe_syringe_disposal.pdf NM https://www.env.nm.gov/solid-waste/recycling-composting-and-diversion/ NV https://www.southernnevadahealthdistrict.org/Health-Topics/proper-medication-disposal/ NY http://www.dec.ny.gov/chemical/9082.html OH http://www.epa.ohio.gov/portals/34/document/guidance/gd_462.pdf OK https://cdn.ymaws.com/www.productstewardship.us/resource/resmgr/2/ok/Sharps_Fact_Sheet.pdf OR http://www.oregonmetro.gov/tools-living/healthy-home/common-hazardous-products/medical-waste-or-sharps PA https://www.montcopa.org/DocumentCenter/View/2324/sharps_disposal_pa_dep?bidId= RI https://www.rirrc.org/sites/default/files/2017-02/Sharps%201-pager.pdf SC http://www.scdhec.gov/HomeAndEnvironment/Recycling/DisposingofNeedles/ SD https://denr.sd.gov/des/wm/sw/swmedicalwaste.aspx TN https://www.tn.gov/environment/sw-mm-household-hazardous-waste-program/sw-mm-household-hazardous-waste-collection-event- schedule0.html TX https://www.tceq.texas.gov/assets/public/comm_exec/pubs/gi/gi-418-print.pdf UT https://www.beaver.utah.gov/432/Disposal-of-Unused-Medicines-Syringes VA https://www.deq.virginia.gov/home/showdocument?id=2483 VT https://dec.vermont.gov/content/safe-disposal-sharps WA https://healthonline.washington.edu/sites/default/files/record_pdfs/Safe-Disposal-Sharps.pdf https://www.kingcounty.gov/depts/health/communicable-diseases/hiv-std/patients/drug-use-harm-reduction/needle-disposal.aspx WI http://dnr.wi.gov/topic/HealthWaste/HouseholdSharps.html WV http://www.wvdhhr.org/wvimw/pdf/syringe_disposal.pdf WY http://deq.wyoming.gov/media/attachments/Solid%20%26%20Hazardous%20Waste/Inspection%20%26%20Compliance/Guidance/SHWD_Inspection- and-Compliance_Medical-Waste-Treatment-guidance.pdf

This information has been prepared by UltiMed, Inc. to assist with the safe disposal of home-generated sharps. It does not include every aspect of every state regulation and does not apply to businesses. The information was gathered from published websites and is not provided as legal advice. UltiMed, Inc. cannot be held liable for the information contained in this document or for any omission of information by individuals.